Think Piece No. 15: A terminal threat to state monopoly on the use of force? The international search for answers to combating terrorism and violent extremism

Summary

• Among transnational actors and forces that undermine the state monopoly on the use of force, Terrorism and Violent Extremism are arguably the most dramatic in the twenty-first century.
• The threat of terrorism and violent extremism is real but it has been exaggerated and misdiagnosed. Many groups bundled under the terrorist label today originated as opposition or insurgency movements seeking greater political, economic and social justice.
• Security based approaches which the international community has mobilized to counter the many groups labeled as terrorist have caused the threat to change, disperse, and grow in unanticipated ways.
• The only durable antidote to terrorism and extremism is one which carefully calibrates the use of security forces with a primary emphasis on civilian support for local reform efforts to address the political grievances that spawned extremism.